Machine for operating on fruits and the like



Dec- 8 1931 J. H. sTANsBuRY 1,835,190

MACHINE FOR OPERATING-0N FRUITS AND THE LIKE Original Filed July 25, 1927 `5 sheets-sheet 1 Dec. 8, 1931. J. H. sTANsBURY MACHINE vFOR OPERATING 0N FRUITS AND THE LIKE Original Filed July 25, 1927 5 Shee`ts-Sheet 2 MN, QN

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De? 8, 1931 J. H. sTANsBURY 1,835,190

` MACHINE FOR OPERATING 0N FRUITS AND THE LIIKn original Filed July 25, 1927 5 sheets-sheet s i@ O l Q5 v Y @YW HIT Dec. 8, 1931.

J. H. STANSBURY MACHINE FOR OPERATING ON FRUITS ND THE LIKE Original Filed July 25, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 /dz/f y l w1, "57404 Dec. 8, 1931. I J. H. sTANsEzUl-Q'Y 1,835,190

M 'IIIIE` FOR OPERATING ON FRUITS AND THE LKE I original Filed July 25,` 1927 5 sheets-sheet 5 Planted Dec. s, 1931 A UNITED STATES.

Mrrlezla'r .o1-FICE JOHN Imnrmrr 'sTANsBUnm-'or FBUITLAND, mm1), Assmann o1' oms-mm' 'ro RALPH o. DULANY, or FBUI'I'LAND, 1||IA11II1AL1fr1 v MACHINE ron OPERATING 0N rams um rim Lum sppiication mea my 25,1927, serial no; 208,362. Renewed August 7, 19:9.

This invention relates to machines for removing stems and the like from small fruit, especially berries. I l Machines have heretofore been. devised for stemming such fruits .as grapes,- cherries, gooseberries, etc. but so far as I am aware, the problem .of producing a machine for removing the stems and caps from strawberries has so far baliled all efforts,

The difficulty lies in the fact that strawberries vary' so widely in shape, size, and degree of softness, and in the further fact that the fruit is tender and easily mashed. The

problem of handling strawberries in-a ma chine is, therefore, wholly different from that of handling any other fruit of which I am aware, although the principles embodiedV in the present invention may be applicable to other types of fruit and vegetables.

The general object of the invention is'to p provide an' automatic machine into which the strawberries to 4be capped and stemmedl may be fed'in bulk, and which will effectively and rapidly remove the stems and caps.

without crushing or injuringfthe fruit. A

, further object is to provide such a machine E erative parts lof the machine;

that is simple in construction and operation, adjustable for different varietiesA of berries and of comparatively small cost.

To this end, the invention comprises the construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter describedand claimed and illus-l trated in the accompanying drawings, in

which Figure 1 isa side elevation of my improved machine complete, parts being broken away; Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation on an enlarged scale, showing 'the feeding mechanism, parts being in section; f

Figure 2 is a plan view of the machine shown in Figure 1;

Figure`3 is-an elevation ofthe discharge of the frame and Supporw'd thereby are a,

end thereof; Figure 4 is a partial ,transverse 'section on an enlarged scale, showing some of the jop- Figure 5. is a fragmentary sideelevation of therollersand supporting'means there horizontal bars 3,' as shown. Y;

for, parts being broken away'vand other parts being shown in section; A

Figure 53'L is a perspective view of one of the bearing blocks which I employ; Figure 6 is a diagrammatic view in the nature of a side elevation illustrating the relation of the conveyor belt to the rollers;

Figures 7, 8 and 9 'are enlarged trans'- verse 'sections through a pair of rollers and the conveyor belt, these sections corresponding in position respectively to the lines 77, 8 8, and 9 9, of Figure 6;

Fi re 10 is a fragmentary side elevation showing a somewhat modified form of rollshowing a slightly modified arrangement; l

and

Fi re 13 is a viewl similar to Figure 7, but showlng a vfurther modified construction.

The operative elements which embody the essential principle on which the machine operates consists cfa pair of substantially horizontal rollers, constituting pinching mechanism, and a conveyor belt extending lon tudinally thereof. A belt and pair of ro ers constitutes an operative unit, and as many of these units as desired can be' assembled in asingle machine and driven from the same source of power. In the drawings, Ivhave illustrated, by `way of example, a machine having six conveyork belts and six pairs of rollers, butobviously any desired number of these elements may be employed.

.Y Referring to the drawingsin improved machine comprises a suitable frame 1, supported on legs 2, suitably braced by Extending across the' main side members ers are humana, in beingunderstood that these ro 1ers are relatively' slender,

detail, the" and have to be supported at relatively close intervals in order to render them suiclently ing block has formed in its upper surface a pair of spaced semi-cylindrical seats or bearings 7, and preferably extending along the upper edge of the block between these seats is an oil groove 8. A. screw threaded socket 8a is also formed in the upper surface of the block for the purpose of receiving a bolt or screw, hereinafter described.

In the preferred form of the invention, each roller comprises a central shaft made of steel or the like, covered with av relatively thick layer of soft elastic material such as rubber. In practice, a special rubber composition, having just the right degree of softness and elasticity has been employed in order to get the best results.

Referring again to Figure 4, a pair of rollers, each comprising a shaft 9 and a rubber covering or body 10, are journaled in the seats or bearings 7, and extend from one end of the machine to the other.

A pair of similar rollers, each comprising a shaft 13 and rubber covering 0r body 14, are superposed upon the rollers 10, preferably being offset somewhat from the vertical, as shown, and the shafts of these upper rollers are journaled in seats or bearings formed in an upper bearing block 11, resting upon said shafts. In the lower surface of this upper bearing block 11 is preferably formed an oil groove 12 similar to the groove 8, and theblock 11 is also provided with a central opening through which loosely passes a screw or bolt 15. Interposed between the head of this bolt and the block 11 isa helical spring 16. It will thus be seen that when the bolt 15 is inserted through the block 11, and screwed into the socket 8 in the block 5, the spring 16 is compressed and serves to resiliently urge the two blocks together, and at the same time to maintain the surfaces of the two pairs of rollers 10 and 14 in contact with each other.

The problem of proper lubrication of the bearings of these rollers is a diiiicult one, because of the necessitv for reventing oil or grease getting onto the sur ace of the rollers themselves. As shown in the drawings I provide a felt pad 17 and interpose this between the two blocks 11 and 5. Oil applied to this pad through the opening surrounding the bolt 15 in the block 11 is distributed by it to the four bearings, the grooves 8 and 12 assisting in such distribution. In order to prevent the oil from working its way onto the surface of the rollers, I place upon the respective shafts 9 and 13 at each side of the bearing, metal disks 10a and 14, as shown in Figure 5, these disks being preferably slightly smaller in diameter than the diameter of the rollers.

Referring now to Figure 2, it will be seen that the various pairs of rollers 10 and 14 extend the full length of the machine, being journaled in a suitable number of bearings such as 5 and 11, at intervals throughout their length and also being journaled in and extending through transverse end plates 1a and 1b. To the projecting ends of the lower set of rollers 10 are secured adjacent the member 1, beveled pinions 18, and arranged to mesh with these pinions are a series of similar beveled pinions 19 secured to aligned shafts 20 and 21 carrying at their outer ends pinions 22 and 23, meshing respectively with gears 24 and 25, secured to a main transversely extending shaft 26. Thus the lower set of rollers are rotated.

Similarly the upper set of rollers 14 carry at their ends adjacent the end plate 1h beveled pinions 27, arranged to mesh with similar pinions 28, carried on aligned shafts 29 and 30, having at their ends pinions 31 and 32, meshing respectively with gears 33 and 34. carried by a second main transverse shaft 36. rlhus, the upper set of rollers 14 is driven. It will, of course, be understood that the rli- `rection of rotation of the respective rollers as indicated by the arrows in Figure 4 and also 1n Figures 7, 8 and 9.

Secured to the main shafts 26 and 3G au.

rolls 37 and 38, each of these rolls being l meral 39. It will bc seen that these bei* disposed with their upper runs lng longitudinally of the pairs of rollers 1x; and 14, and that each belt has one edge adjacent; one such pair of rollers.

rlhe lower runs of these belts are fiat and lie in a single plane. as best shown at in, Figure 4. The upper runs of the belts, adjacent the rollers 10 and 14, are, however, trans- V versely tilted so that they incline downwardly toward the respective rollers.

As a means for thus tilting transversely the upper runs of the belts, I provide a series of pins or bolts 41, (see Figure 4) having their screw threaded ends set into the sides of angle bars 43, as indicated at 42. These angle bars are supported edge downward in such a position that their flanges, and also the pins or bolts 41, extend at substantially 450 to the horizontal. Loosely fitting over each pin or bolt 41 is a tube or sleeve 40 and between the lower end of such sleeve and the head of the bolt is interposed a disk or washer 41 of a diameter somewhat larger than the diameter of the sleeve. This disk thus pro- Y vides an annular flange projecting beyond the' sleeve and serving to support the lower edge of the belt and prevent it from slipping downwardly.' In other words, the bolt 41, sleeve 40 and disk 41"* constitutes a guide for supporting the upper run of the belt in the desired position. By reference to Figure 4,

it will be seen that a series of these belt guides is arranged at each side of the roller assembly. `In the middle of the machine, these guides are carried by both sides or iianges of the angle bars 43, as clearly shown at the right of Figure 4, while at the side of the machine, these guidesare of course carried by only one side ofthe angle bar. Each angle bar 43 is supported 'by means of two upstanding rods.44, having screw 'threaded upper ends on which work nuts 48. These rods 44 are rigidly secured at their lower ends to the 4cross members 4, by means of lock nuts v45. The angle bars 43 areprovidedwith central holes or openings which freelv` slip over the ends of the rods 44, and the bars rest upon free floating sleeves 46 threaded on the rods 44 and themselves supported by .compression .springs 47 surrounding the rods. It will thus be seen that by screwing down the nuts 48, the-springs 47 ma'y be compressed to a greater or lesser extent and the height or elevation of the bars 43 adjusted as desired. Moreover, it will be understood that oneend of each o f these bars can be raised or lowered y relative to the other end so as to cause the its bars to assume a yslight angle relative to the horizontal.

' In order to prevent fruit orforeign matter from accumulating in the upturned trough shaped angle bars 43, I preferably cover each angle bar with a convex cap orroof 49, as clearly shown in Figures 1, 2 and 4. Thus,

-any berries falling onto these convex covers will roll off onto the belts 39.

In order to clean the surface of the belts, and -prevent material from clinging to or accumulatingl` on them,`I preferably provide a rotary brush 50, suitably journaled in the machine at such a height as vto engage the lower runs ofthe belts, as shown in Figure 4'.

This brush is not positively driven, but is preferably arranged at a slight angle to the be-lts, as indicated in dotted lines -in Figure 2, and is rotated by the frictional engagement of the belts therewith.

In order to deposit the berries upon the travelling belts uniformly and continuously,

I have devised the improved feeding'device shown at the left of Figures 1 and 2 and also illustrated in Figures 1,a and 3. This feed ing device comprises. a suitable hopper 51, preferably extending the full widthl'of the machine, and pivotally sup orted on" a pair of brackets 52 and adjustab e brace rods 53. By turning the nuts 54 at the upper ends of these vrods inclination of the oor 51 Aof the hopper may be varied, as required.-

Y Across the lower end of the hopper extends a plate or bar 55, this bar being spaced from the bottom 511s of the hopper'a suitable distance toprovide a discharge opening 56, as clearly Shown in Figure 1". Carried by the edge of the hopper bottom immediately adjacent this discharge opening is a ,series of spaced fingers 57. These ngers 57 incline downwardly in the same general direction as they bottom of the hopper, but are provided with upturned ends 57a which constitute a kind of cradle in which the berries issuing from the discharge opening 56 are momentarily held. lA transverse shaft 5.9 is journaled in brackets 60 acent the ends of the fingers.57, and this shaft carries one or more l serles of radially extending pins spaced axially along the shaft in a manner corresponding Y above described is disposed a wide trough or A chute 63 which extends from the hopper 61 on the shaft 35 on the main y down to the conveyor belts and serves to receive the fruit fed out by the pins 48 and carry it to the belts. it will beseen that guide flanges 63a are carried by the chute at the sides of the belts' and that other upstanding guide flanges or fins 64 extending between the several .pairs of belts are also provided to guide and direct the fruit onto the respectivebelts. Someof these intermediate upstanding guide flanges are bifurcated and divergent at their lower ends, as indicated at 64, in order to'closely hug and conform to the at these points.

By referencel to Figure 2, i

profile of the belts i The' machine as a Whole may be driven from any suitable source of power, such as an electricv motor 65. As shown in the drawings,

by way of illustration, this motoris' geared by means of a sprocket chain 67 vto a sprocket wheel 66, carried by a back shaft 68, mounted' in a suitable bracket 68a. On the back shaft 68 is also a sprocket 69, and around this sprocket and an idler sprocket 70, and alsol i around sprockets 7 2 and 73 secured to the shafts 26 and 36, extends a sprocket cha-in 71.

Means are preferably provided for collecting and carrying away the berries discharged from the belts 3 9, after leaving the stemming rollers, and to this end, I"preferably construct atransversely extending conveyor. This may be supported on a suitable frame work 74 and comprlses a travelling belt 75 passing around rollers 7 6'and 77, a'discharge spout 78 beingl provided adjacent the roller 77'. The rol er 77 may be driven by means of a gear wheel 83 meshing with a pinion 82 secured to a belt wheel 81 to which power is transmitted from ain auxiliary electric motor 7 9 by means-of a belt 80, the motor 79 being supported on a suitable bracket 79a. Of course means may be provided for driving this conveyor from the main motor 65, if desired. i

The principle and operation of the machine will now be briefly described. We will refer first to Figures 6, 7, 8 and 9. At the outset,- it will be noted that the pair of stemming rollers 10 and 14 are preferably not disposed directly one above the other in the same vertical plane, but that the upper one is somewhat offset relative to the lower, so that the axes of the two rollers lie in a. plane making an angle with the vertical. This angle is indicated in Figure 7 by the broken lines y and z and it has been found in practice that the best results can be obtained with van angle of from 2() to 25. that the upper run a of the belt 39 is inclined at an angle of approximately 45, and it will be seen that there is thus formed a kind of V-shaped trough, one side of which is made up of the rollers 10 and 14, and the other side ofwhich consists of the belt.

The berries to be stemmed and capped are simply dumped into the hopper 51, from which they are discharged through the open-- ing 56 onto the fingers 57. From these fingers they are lifted and deposited a few at a time into the chute G3, down which they roll and onto the traveling conveyor belts 39.

Considering a single unit suc as'shown in Figure 7, it will be seen that the berries are carried along by the belt and caused to travel and tumble as they move, so that different sides of each berry are constantly presented toward the bite of the rollers. Incidentally, it will be observed that because of,

the peculiar construction of bearings shown in Figure 4, there is no obstruction in the bite of the rollers at any point, and the rollers are yieldingly held in continuous contact throughout their whole length. As each berry travels along the bite of the rollers, being tumbled as it goes, it will, at some point in its journey, occupy such a position that the stem or edge of the cap is caught between the rollersand stripped from the berry. It will be further understood that the rollers are of such comparatively small size (for example 3/8ths of an inch in diameter) that the bite between them is not suiliciently wide to admit of a berry being drawn 1n.

off, and the berry continues its journey along It will also be noted The cap and stem are simply pinched -which hold the angle bars 43 and support the upper runs of the belts (see Figure 4) The result of this slight inclination of the lower edge of the belt relative to the bite of the rollers is clearly shown in Figures 7, 8 and 9, Figure 7 representingthe lower end of the belt, and Figure 9 the higher end. From a study of these figures, it will be observed that the horizontal distance from the belt to the bite-of the rollers progressively varies from one end of the rollers to the other, this distance being greatest at the lower end, as shown in Figure 7, and least at the upper end, as shownin Figure 7. Consequently, although a small berr at the position of Figure 7 would not stan high enough for its cap to enter the bite of the roller, and while a very large berry, in the position shown in Figure 9, would stand too high for its cap to enter the bite of the rollers, it will be seen that as a number of berries of miscellaneous sizes are carried along the rollers by the belt, the larger berries will reachan operative position at the lower portion of the belt, as indicated at Figure 7, and the smaller berries will reach an operative position at the upper end ofthe belt, as indicated at Figure 9, While the berries of intermediate size will find their proper position at intermediate points in the length of the rollers, such, for example, as illustrated at the center in Figure 8.

`While I have illustrated the belt as moving in a direction such that the large berries are first operated u on and the smaller ones carried along until t ley reach the higher portions of the belt before entering the bite of the rollers, it is obvious that the arrangement might be the reverse of this, and that the small berriespmieht be brought into operative position lirst. In any event, it will be seen that by the simple expedient of arranging the lower edge of the belt at a slight angle to the horizontal, the usual run of berries varying widely in size and shape-can be successively brought into the bite of the rollers and successfully operated upon.

While I have shown and described, and have found in practice that rollers having a surface of uniform texture operate eiciently, I yhave also found it advantageous in some cases to employ rollers constructed as shown in Figure 10.. In this ligure, the rollers are the same except that I wind a fine wire spirally around each, as indicated at 84. This wire increases the biting or pinching effect of the rollers. l l

Also while I have described both rollers as being `formed of rubber or similar elastic material, it may in some cases suiiice to employ only one elastic roller, while the other roller is made of hard material such as metal.. This done. I provide bearing blocks 5' and 11',

' and instead of .having a single bolt 15 passing down through the center of the blocks,

' I provide two bolts 15', spaced apart so as to accommodate between them the shaft of `a rotary brush 85. This brush is arranged to scrape the surface of both upper rollers 14 and keep them clean. The brush may be driven in any suitablemanner.

As a still further modication, I may employ the arrangement of pinching mechanism illustrated in Figure 13. In this con- I struction, I provide traveling aprons 86,' of

l light duck, or the like, each of which passes over one of the rubber rollers, and around an idler 87, suitably mounted, and disposed parallel with the. roller. This cloth. covering does not become as slippery as the rubber itself does, when wet with fruit juice, and is also easier to keep clean. Otherwise, the Aoperation of this modification is the same. j

In the following claims, where I use the word roller, it will be understoodthat I mean to include either a naked roller, or a roller sheathed andcovered by a traveling apron, as shown in Figure 13.

1. In a berry capping and stemmin malvchine, a pair of substantially horizonta rollers of uniform diameter mounted one above the other with their surfaces in contact,

means for rotating said-rollers, and mechanism independent of said rollers for caus-l ing the berries to said rollers. v

2. In a be capping andv stemming machine, a pair o substantially horizontal rollers mounted with their surfaces in contact, means for'rotating said rollers, and traveling means for supporting the berries and for.

causin them to roll and tumble along the bite o said' rollers, so that the part of each berry in contact'with the rollers is constant ly changed-as the berries travel.

3. In a berr7 cappin and stemmin machine, a pair o substantially horizonta rollers mounted with their surfaces in contact, means for rotating said rollers, and a conveyor belt extending longitudinally of and adjacent the bite of said rollers, and ser'vmg to carry the berries along the same said belt constituting a support on whlch the berrles rest bite is at the side, means for rotatin v 4. In a berrycappingf and, stemming ma;

chine, a pair of substantially horizontal rollers mounted one above the other' with their surfaces in contact, means for rotating said rollers, and a conveyor belt extendin longitudinally of and adjacent the bite o said rollers, and serving to carry the berries along the same, said belt being transversely 1uclined toward the rollers, whereby the berries are caused to move with said rollers. e

5. In a berry capping and stemming machine, a pair` of substantially` horizontal rollby gravity into contact- -ers mounted with their surfaces in contact,

anddisposed one above the other, so that the bite is at the side, means for rotating said rollers', and a conve or belt extending longitudinally of and agi to travel along the same.

6. In a berry capping and stemming machine, a pair of substantially horizontal roll- 'and disposed one above the other, so that the said rollers, and a conveyor belt extending Ongitudinally of and adjacent the bite of said rollers, and serving to cause the berries to travel along the same, said belt being transversely inclined toward the rollers, whereby'y the berries are caused to move by gravity into such bite. y

7. In a berr capping and stemmin ma. chine, a pair of'substantiallyv horizontaI rollers, mounted with their surfaces/in contact, and disposed one above the other with their axes lying in a plane forming an angle withthe vertical, means for rotatlng'said rollers, and a conveyor belt extending longitudinally of and adj acent said rollers, said conveyor belt being likewise inclined transversely and disposed at an angle tothe vertical, whereby said, pair of rollers and belt together form a trough along which the berries are caused .to travel. travel along, the bite of 8. In a berry capping and stemming machine, a substantially horizontal trough along which the berries are caused to travel, one side of said trough being made up of ,a pair -of parallel rollers, arranged one above the ASaid rollers.

10. In aber capping andstemmin machine, the com ination with. a pair o 'subacent the bite-of e said rollers, and serving to cause the berries ers mounted with their surfaces in contact,

of said rollers and in space is provided between the said support-v ing and conveying means, and the bite of the rollers.

11. A berry capping and stemming machine comprising a palr of rollers mounted one above the other with their surfaces in contact, at least one of said rollers comprising a metallic core or shaft surrounded by a body portion of soft elastic material, and means for causing berries to travel along the bite of said rollers.

12. A berry cappingand stemming machine comprising a pair of relatively long and slender rollers, at least one of which consistsof a shaft having a covering of soft, elastic material, a plurality of bearings spaced along said rollers in which said rollers are supported at intervals, the surfaces of said rollers being in continuous contact throughout their length, means for rotating said rollers, and means for causing berries to travel along the biteJ thereof.

13. In a machine of the class described, a pair of'relatively long and slender rollers, and a pluralit of bearings, spaced along said rollers, in W ich bearings saidv rollers are journaled at intervals, said bearings comprising means for supporting said rollers in such manner that their surfaces are in continuous contact throughout their length'.

14. In a machine of the class described, a pair of relatively long and slender rollers, and a plurality of bearings, spaced along said rollers, in which bearings said rollers are journaled at intervals, each of said bearings comprising a pair of blocks, each block having in its face yadjacent the other block a seat to receive the shaft of one of said rollers, and means for yieldingly pressing said blocks together, whereby said rollers are maintained in continuous contact throughout their length.

15. In a machine of the class described, va roller comprising a` shaft covered with rubber, spaced bearings .in which said roller is journaled at a plurality of pointes interrangedwith its upper run extending along said rollers adjacent their bite, and means for causing said run of the belt to assume.

a transversely tilted position.

17. A machine of the class described comprising a pair of substantially horizontal transversely tilted position, with its lower edge disposed at an acute angle to the line of contact of said rollers, and means for adjusting said belt to vary said angle.

18. A machine of the class described comprising a pair of substantially horizontal rollers mounted one above theother With their surfaces in contact, a pair of belt pulleys disposed one adjacent each end of said rollers and mounted onaxes at right angles to those of said rollers, an endless belt passing over said pulleys and having its upper run extending along and adjacent said rollers, and means for causing said run of the causing said run of the belt to assume a l belt to assume a position transversely inclined toward said rollers.

19. In a machine of the class described, a substantially horizontal trough along which articles are caused to travel, one side of said trough being made up of a pair of co-operating pinching elements, arranged one above the other, and the other side of the trough consisting of a conveyer belt movable longitudinally of said pinching elements.

20. In a machine of the class described, a pair of susbtantially horizontal rollers mounted one above the other with their surfaces closely adjacent, means for rotating at least one of said rollers, anendless flexible apron passing around at least one roller, means for causing said apron to travel over its roller, and mechanism for causing the articles to be operated upon to travel along the bite of said rollers.

21. In a machine of the class described, the combination with pinching mechanism including a horizontal roller, of conveying mechanism mounted at one side of and adjacent said roller, and comprising a trans#A versely inclined traveling belt extending longitudinally of said roller.

22. In a machine of the class described, the combination with pinching mechanism comprising a horizontal roller element and a cooperatingv element forming a bite therewith, y

of means for driving said elements, and

traveling means for supporting the articles.

to be operated upon and for causing them to roll and tumble along the bite of said elements, .so that the. part of each article in contact with said" elements is constantly changed as the articles travel.

23. In a berry capping and stemming machine, pinching mechanism comprising a sublll@ llti

stantially horizontal roller and a co-operating element forming a bite, said roller and vco-operating element being disposed one above the other, so that the bite is at the side, means for driving sai-d roller and co-operating element, and a transversel inclined conveyor belt extending longitu inally of and adjacent said bite, 'and serving to cause the berries to travel along the same 24. In a berry ca ping and stemming ma.

chine, the combmation with pinching mecha- `nism comprising va substantially horizontal roller and a co-operating element formin a bite, said roller and co-operating element ing mounted one above the other, so that the a bite is at the side, transversely inclined means for supporting the berries adjacent said bite and conveying them along the same, said supporting and conveying means being disposed further away from the bite at one end than at the other, whereby a progressively varying I space is provided between the said supporting and conveying means,and such bite.

25. In a machine of the class described,and

in combination, a plurality of juxtaposed operative units, each com rising pinching mechanism including a horlzontal roller and a co-operating element forming a bite, said roller and co-operating element bein disposed one above the other so that the ite is at the side, means for driving said roller and co-operating element, and a transversely inclined travelling conveyor belt extending longitudinally of and adjacent said bite, the belts of the several units bein substantially parallel, a hopper, and means or feedin ata uniform rate from said hopper the arti es to be operated upon and for distributing and ldgvering them upon the several conveyor In testimony whereof I ailix In signature.

JOHN HERBERT STA SBURY. 

